Giro d’Italia 2023: 'I would be really peed off' – Sean Kelly baffled by Davide Formolo tactics on Stage 12

Published 18/05/2023 at 16:42 GMT

Davide Formolo’s attacks raised more than a few eyebrows in the Eurosport commentary box during Stage 12 at the Giro d’Italia. Formolo, who is expected to be a key lieutenant to UAE Team Emirates colleague Joao Almeida in the mountains on Friday, was spotted pursuing the most unlikely of chases – with Sean Kelly particularly unimpressed at the Italian’s ignorance of the bigger picture.

'You just question the logic' - Formolo criticised for Stage 12 attack

Sean Kelly admits he would be “really peed off” if he was in GC hopeful Joao Almeida’s shoes at the Giro d’Italia after seeing his team-mate Davide Formolo lead a futile uphill chase on Stage 12 – less than 24 hours before the peloton roll out for the biggest mountain test yet.

Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) started the day third in the general classification, just 22 seconds down on Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) in the overall competition. With a brutal day to follow on Friday, featuring three Cat. 1 climbs, it was expected the GC teams would avoid burning any unnecessary matches on the run from Bra to Rivoli.

Instead, Formolo – and Primoz Roglic’s team-mate Sepp Kuss – got into the day’s chaotic 30-man breakaway. The 30-year-old was targeting a second stage win at the Giro but missed the key move as four riders – Toms Skujins (Trek-Segafredo), Alessandro Tonelli (Green Project-Bardiani), Sebastian Berwick (Israel-PremierTech) and eventual winner Nico Denz (Bora-Hansgrohe) – broke away.

Giro d'Italia

Giro d’Italia Stage 8 as it happened – De Gendt defies the big names to take breakaway win

19/05/2022 at 09:54

But despite being over three minutes back in the second chase group, Formolo was spotted repeatedly driving the pace on the final Cat. 2 climb, prompting disbelief in the Eurosport commentary box.

When asked how we would react if he was Almeida, Kelly said: “I would be really peed off. You would expect him [Formolo] to get orders from the team director and say to him ‘OK, knock it off now, there’s no point because the race is gone.”

Pressed on whether a top-five finish was worth pursuing, Kelly bluntly said: “No”.

Rob Hatch chimed in: “Not when you’re already a Giro d’Italia stage winner surely and when, in less than 24 hours, you’re supposed to be leading up one of the biggest mountains in the whole Giro! It’s the first big appointment in the mountains for the GC guys. I mean, you just question the logic.”

Formolo eventually came home in 12th, 2’20” behind stage winner Denz. Kuss finished in the same time, having fought back later in the stage.

“If you’re a rider who’s in your first Grand Tour, then you get a bit carried away and you can understand,” Kelly added.

“But for Formolo to be doing this… the days to come are very important. It’s surprising that he’s been left to do this and continue pushing at this pace. When you see where they are on the road, you would expect to knock off your effort and wait for another day.”

It capped an eventful day for Formolo, who went the wrong way at a roundabout earlier in the stage to throw away a 25-second lead along with Marco Frigo (Israel-PremierTech).